Graffiti Church and Village Breakfast
God has called another fabulous bunch of people to do the CMS certificate in pioneering which began in July. The group of 8 are drawn from across Dorset, Wiltshire and the Channel Islands! With Salisbury Diocese having received the Channel Islands only last year it was so good to have 2 folk from Jersey apply and join the course.
Stephen from Jersey is the Centre Manager for St Andrew’s in St Helier. He also has a background in youth work and is a talented graffiti artist. He is using that talent to engage with people in the local community and is experimenting with a gathering called Graffiti Church where families gather to get creative with spray paints and connect with themes from the Christian faith.
Quote from Stephen
"The CMS pioneering course has presented me with the opportunity to share ideas and learn from the experience of others. I began a new venture called Graffiti Church, as a result of starting the course. It’s been helpful to be encouraged, stretched and challenged by the experience of others and to grapple with the different interpretations of the bible, which impact the way we all view the world and our God-given mission to be salt and light."
Stephen Lamb - St Andrew’s Church, Jersey.
Rachel from Dorset has lived in rural village all her life and is now living in the village of Purse Caundle in north Dorset. She is building community in the village through a regular village breakfast hosted by the church community. The breakfast community is forming the base for a variety of new ‘spin-off’ gatherings.
‘The pioneer course structures me and shows me how I can deal with creating these ‘spin-offs’ so they’re not just hectic and messy, they’re properly thought through with scripture backing’ (Rachel)
We are now halfway through the course and beginning to see people really connect with he principles of pioneering and get excited about how they can use them to engage in mission in their communities. The course if open to anyone who senses a call to pioneer ministry. We have plans to run another cohort after this one so if you’d like to express an interest do get in touch with Paul (paul@poolemc.org.uk)